ESPN Daily

Fifty years ago today, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met in their first iconic boxing match, known as “The Fight of the Century.” It was 1971, with the civil rights movement in full swing and the nation divided over the war in Vietnam. Jeremy Schaap, boxing historian and host of E60 and Outside the Lines, shares how political and cultural views were projected onto Ali and Frazier, with their differ...

Fernando Tatis Jr.’s massive 14-year, 340 million dollar deal with the Padres shattered MLB records. But it’s actually not the most important signing of the Padres this offseason. That belongs to Matt LaChappa, who signed with the team again in February, just as he has every year for more than a quarter-century. It’s a baseball story unlike any other: LaChappa is the longest tenured player in Padr...

At just 25 years old, Claressa Shields might already be the best women’s boxer of all time. The Flint, Michigan native is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. She’s undefeated in her professional career. And she’s already won titles in three different weight divisions. But this Friday, she is attempting something that could fundamentally change the entire sport. Shields is headlining the first ever a...

Tonight James Harden enters his former basketball home, Houston’s Toyota Center, as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. It’s his first time facing the Rockets since his very messy trade in January. After a slow start, Harden and the Nets are thriving. He’s notched seven triple doubles in their recent eight-game winning streak. And that’s even with star Kevin Durant sitting out for injury. ESPN’s Malika...

Meet Azzi Fudd, number one women’s high school basketball player in the nation. Fudd has won medals for USA basketball, was the first sophomore to win Gatorade National Player of the Year, and dominated Steph Curry’s camp as one of only two girls participating. Despite her unlimited potential, Fudd has endured setbacks, from major injury to the loss of friends and mentors, including Gigi and Kobe...

The NFL quarterback carousel is in full rotation. Russell Wilson reportedly hasn’t requested a trade, but may want out of Seattle. The Deshaun Watson Texans saga has hit a stalemate. Carson Wentz has been shipped off from Philly to Indianapolis. And there are more marquee names likely on the move. Bill Barnwell makes a triumphant return to help us make sense of this chaotic offseason. Then, Pablo...

The Utah Jazz are surprisingly the best team in the NBA. After demolishing the Los Angeles Lakers this week, the Jazz claimed the top spot in the Western Conference -- while the Philadelphia 76ers reign in the East. However, this season is far from over. ESPN’s senior NBA writer Zach Lowe joins the show to dissect the biggest NBA storylines in his midseason report, including potential trades. Then...

It’s a hockey story that spans from Manhattan to Moscow. Here in America, Artemi Panarin is a star winger, an MVP candidate, and arguably the best player on the New York Rangers. But back home in Russia, the 29-year-old is something far more dangerous: the most vocal athlete opponent of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Today, Emily Kaplan explains the explosive accusations that have sidelined Pan...

On Tuesday morning, Tiger Woods was involved in a serious car accident outside of Los Angeles, where he was taken to a hospital to treat his injuries. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne brings us the latest from her reporting on the scene. Then, another listen to Pablo’s conversation with ESPN’s Lauren Stowell about her documentary on Tiger Woods, “America’s Son.” She re-examines “Tigermania,” which only gre...

Last year's CBA should have been a defining moment for DeMaurice Smith and the labor force of America's most popular sport. Instead, some players -- and some owners -- have come to see Smith as an asset to management. Don Van Natta explains Smith’s negotiations with the NFL on behalf of the players union…and whether or not Smith is ultimately in an unwinnable position. Learn more about your ad cho...

MLB spring training is upon us! After a long offseason of big trades and bigger contracts being signed, baseball has finally returned. The defending World Series champion Dodgers bolstered their already deep rotation by signing Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, but the biggest threat to their potential dynasty might be 122 miles down the 5 Freeway. The Padres locked up Fernando Tatis for the next 14 y...

The Italian town of Bergamo is fiercely loyal to its soccer team, Atalanta B.C. As the perennial underdogs made a run to the Champions League 2020 quarterfinals, Atalanta drew tens of thousands of Bergamo fans to hug, cry, sing and celebrate for their win. No one knew then it was the last time they’d gather like that. Just as fans returned to their homes, Bergamo became an epicenter of coronavirus...

Pelicans star Zion Williamson has starred in almost super-humanlike highlights in his young NBA career, but are they worth hundreds of thousands of dollars? It’s a concept that the NBA is banking on, with their newest digital memorabilia venture: NBA Top Shot, a marketplace that is something of a cross between trading cards and Bitcoin. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explains what NBA Top Shot is, its val...

University of Connecticut freshman Paige Bueckers has notched three straight 30-point games. This historic run has placed her in conversation with all-time great UConn stars like Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart. Could she catapult to greatest UConn player...ever? ESPN’s LaChina Robinson breaks down how Paige makes plays. Then, over in the WNBA, it’s a hot free agency season. Candace Parker left...

The late John Thompson Jr. was one of the most legendary coaches in the history of college basketball. As head coach at Georgetown, Thompson was the first Black coach to win a championship. And his towering influence off the court might even surpass his basketball success. Jesse Washington joins the show to remember Coach Thompson's impact and share stories from their co-authored autobiography, "I...

The NFL's concussion settlement set terms for compensating retired players who show cognitive impairment after playing football. But two NFL veterans have taken legal action because they say the claims process discriminates against Black players, making it harder for them to be compensated. Ryan Smith joins the show to discuss the cases of Najeh Davenport and Kevin Henry, why and how race was fact...

NASCAR is back this weekend, with the 63rd running of The Great American Race...The Daytona 500. But the excitement this year is tempered by the sobering reminder that it’s the 20th anniversary of the death of Dale Earnhardt. When Earnhardt died in an accident on the final lap of Daytona in 2001, the tragedy finally prompted a change in NASCAR that many thought was long overdue. Safety standards a...

It’s a heist story straight out of Hollywood, about a thief who would make Danny Ocean proud. Who is this criminal mastermind, who stole the New York Giants’ Super Bowl rings? Meet Sean Murphy: a die-hard Patriots fan, owner of a moving company, and a self-described master thief. He, like many Pats fans, watched in agony as the New York Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl his...

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is perhaps the most overlooked superstar in the NBA. At age 24, Booker is the only active NBA player with a 70 point game, and his dominating eight game stretch in the NBA Bubble this summer earned him a reputation as one of the league’s premiere scorers. ESPN analyst Michael Wilbon takes us back to Booker’s roots in the latest “Cover Story, ” and chronicles the Gen...

Calvin Johnson is officially a Pro Football Hall of Famer! Johnson (a.k.a. “Megatron”) spent nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, and is regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. During his NFL career, he sought solutions for pain management and found cannabis. He’s now teamed up with former Lion Rob Sims for a new post-NFL chapter: a cannabis startup. ESPN Detroit Lions reporter...

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Super Bowl champions! Tampa’s defense held the Chiefs to three field goals, while Gronk and Brady’s historic connection catapulted the Bucs to victory. Despite Patrick Mahomes’ acrobatic throws on the run while battling a lingering foot injury, the KC offense looked lackluster. And the Chiefs’ defense had no answer for Brady, who’s now earned his seventh...

As a bonus episode on the eve of Super Bowl LV, we are respinning our December show on Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. In February 2020, Duvernay-Tardif was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV...and then, everything changed. With the world coming to a standstill as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Duvernay-Tardif, the only player in the NFL today...

Super Bowl LV is finally here! After a turbulent season, Tom Brady and his newfound Bucs host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who are seeking their second-straight title. What’s changed for these teams since they met in Week 12? Do the Bucs have a new plan to stop the Chiefs’ explosive offense? And can Tom Brady walk away with yet another Super Bowl ring? Mina Kimes brings us her insights and prev...

Love him or hate him, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is one of the best in the NFL. But beyond the flamboyance and flash, there’s a side most people haven’t seen...especially when it comes to his big brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce. Ahead of Travis’s second-straight Super Bowl appearance, Lisa Salters brings us inside the relationship between the two brothers. In fact, Patrick Mahomes’ favorite...

This Sunday, Tom Brady will make his tenth Super Bowl appearance, where he’s seeking his seventh ring. It’s a season that began with doubts about whether Brady could succeed away from New England and Bill Belichick...and has only strengthened his case as the greatest QB of All-Time. Seth Wickersham has covered Brady up-close for two decades, and joins the show to explain how Brady’s acknowledgment...